Velopharyngeal function for speech after the Frolova primary palatoplasty technique

This study was undertaken by several members of the University of Florida Craniofacial Center to assess the results of palatoplasty performed by the method devised by Larisa Y. Frolova, M.D. in 1971.

The assessment was based on evaluation of each subject's speech and velopharyngeal function through perceptual measures, nasometry, and video-nasendoscopy.

The study took place at the National Pediatric Center for Congenital Maxillofacial Pathology, Moscow, Russia, under the auspices and with the cooperation of Dr. Frolova, director of the program.

One hundred twelve children (40 girls and 72 boys; age range, 4 to 10 years; mean age, 7.5 years) with repaired cleft palate who had undergone palatoplasty 2 to 4 years earlier and had no secondary surgery were randomly selected from the center's clinical files by the staff. Subjects with known conditions that could jeopardize normal speech development were excluded.

Each subject was assessed for speech and velopharyngeal function with a battery of perceptual measures and videonasendoscopy.

The percentage of subjects judged to have normal resonance was 55.5%. An additional 9.5% of the subjects judged to be hyponasal increased the rate of nonhypernasal outcome to 64%.

The Furlow double-Z palatoplasty has had an increasing rate of success (up to 87%), whereas the Frolova technique has a success rate of only 55% to 65%.